mysterious sickness.

so recently i had a holland lop die. it was a buck. i realized something was wrong when he started to lose weight. i gave him tetracycline and brought him inside for a couple of days figuring he was sick from the cold weather. it seemed to help then he declined again. the final symptom came the day he died. i noticed his belly was slightly bloated that morning. by the end of the day he was barely moving would not eat and his belly was visibly swollen when i picked him up. the next morning he was dead. if anybody knows anything about this i would like to know. i breed rabbits and i on't want to lose another.

Antibiotics like Tetracycline should only be given to an animal when you are sure that you are dealing with a bacterial infection. This is especially true with rabbits; casual use of antibiotics can cause a fatal case of diarrhea when the antibiotic kills off the beneficial bacteria in the rabbit's digestive tract.

It seems kind of obvious to say it, but a rabbit that is losing weight isn't eating enough to maintain body condition. There are a lot of reasons why a rabbit might not be eating enough, things like inappropriate food, spoiled/moldy food, a buildup of fur in the stomach (wool block), tooth problems, a lack of water, etc. While its sounds like your buck might have been bloated when he died, that doesn't account for the lack of appetite that apparently went on for days before then. There is a condition known as GI (gastrointestinal) stasis where the rabbit's digestive system basically shuts down, but that is more of a symptom rather than a cause. I'm sorry you lost your rabbit, and I'm also sorry I can't be of more help figuring out why he died.

I agree with bunny lady. While it is impossible to determine death at this point, giving antibiotics ORALLY to a rabbit can definitely do bad things to the gut and can cause death. Weight loss can also be caused by a variety of issues including cancers, tooth issues, infections, etc. I usually recommend these bunnies see vets for evaluation when the owner begins to notice weight loss.

Just another note: After death, it is not a bad idea to submit the body for a necropsy. You can usually ask your local vet about the process, but this could help alleviate any fears about spreadable illness or help you decide what treatments to give the others in case of an infectious cause.

Just another note: After death, it is not a bad idea to submit the body for a necropsy. You can usually ask your local vet about the process, but this could help alleviate any fears about spreadable illness or help you decide what treatments to give the others in case of an infectious cause.